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The City of Bethlehem uses an independent third party tool to provide automated language translation. As with any machine translation, the conversion is not context-sensitive and may not fully translate text into its intended meaning. Therefore, the City of Bethlehem does not guarantee the accuracy of the translated text and it should not be relied upon for anything other than informational purposes. We recommend that if you experience difficulty, or doubt the accuracy of the translation, you contact the proper City of Bethlehem department for the information you seek. Please note that some applications and or services may not work as expected when translated.

The Bureau of Planning and Zoning works with the entire community to create a vision for the future of Bethlehem. We attempt to carry out this vision to create a vibrant and sustainable community for the benefit of both current and future generations. Planning is the process of creating long-term visions for places and communities as small as an intersection and as large as a region of the city. The Bureau is a unified, high-performance team that guides land use, zoning and preservation of historic structures, and promotes the comprehensive growth and well-being of the City and its neighborhoods.

The Bureau's 4 member staff administers two important governmental functions:

Comprehensive land use and development planning: Through its planning function, the Bureau is responsible for the preparation of long-range land use and development plans including the City of Bethlehem's Comprehensive Plan and other area-specific and issue-specific plans; conducts special studies, and researches and drafts amendments to city land development and zoning ordinances. The most recent Comprehensive Plan was adopted in 2009. Examples of other recent planning documents developed through the Bureau include the South Bethlehem Greenway Plan (2005), the Historic Preservation Plan (2009), The City Livable: Modest Proposals for a More Walkable Downtown (2009) and the Census Report 20lO. The Bureau also works with conununity partners to create neighborhood plans such as the Eastern Gateway Vision Plan (2011)

Administration of the City's Land Development Regulations: The Bureau also administers all development reviews under the city's Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance and collaborates with other departments in the administration of these codes when reviewing building permits and development plans. All land developments and major subdivision plans are reviewed by the City Planning Commission, a 5 member body of appointed citizens.

The use of land in the City of Bethlehem is regulated. Though much of the city is urbanized, vacant land or buildings to be removed, replaced, or substantially altered for a new use are required to be reviewed by the Bethlehem Planning Bureau and the Planning Commission, which administer the Subdivision and Land Development ordinance. Changes to the Zoning Ordinance and comprehensive planning are also administered by the Planning Bureau and Commission.
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The goal of Bethlehem's new zoning ordinance is to encourage appropriate development in the city's core while maintaining developed neighborhoods and protecting environmentally-sensitive areas.
The ordinance has been adopted by City Council.
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There are three special districts n the City of Bethlehem where a Certificate of Appropriateness is required prior to issuance of a building permit. These districts include areas of the central business districts found on each side of the Lehigh River and the Mount Airy Neighborhood in West Bethlehem.
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Beth Connects: A Trail Study

Bethlehem recently completed a Trail Study, “Beth Connect: A Trail Study”, to outline a program to build on the existing trail network in and around Bethlehem by closing trail gaps, and by connecting Bethlehem’s trails to destinations outside of the City and to larger trail networks. The study suggests ways to promote recreation and cultural amenities through the trail network and to enhance the vibrancy of neighborhoods and businesses in and around the trail network. Goals of the Study include:

Developing safe alternative transportation routes within the City

Making Bethlehem a trails hub by connecting the trails to parks, historic sites and neighboring communities

Providing better connection to Bethlehem’s north and south side downtowns

Increasing viability of businesses that cater to trail users

Increase public awareness of existing trails

Engage many partners, in and out of City Hall, to ensure the sustainability of the trail network for future generations

The Streetscape Enhancement Plan for the Proposed South Bethlehem Community Benefit District is part of an ongoing process to facilitate the economic revitalization of South Bethlehem.

A Streetscape enhancement plan is recognized as a necessary initiative to enhance the livability and activity in the downtown area. This Plan is not an attempt to design an entire streetscape system, but rather to study and highlight some targeted areas and provide examples of how streetscape enhancements can bring vitality to the downtown. The Plan was prepared by Lehigh University in Partnership with other South Bethlehem community organizations and local businesses and the CIty of Bethlehem.

The
Census Report contains commonly
requested data such as population, housing and income characteristics.
Data from 2000 and 2010 were compared wherever possible to
reveal data trends. The information is broken down
by the 18 census tracts, Lehigh and Northampton counties,
and four distinct neighborhoods that make up the City of Bethlehem.
Comparisons to the Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) comprising
Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton are included to compare the
City of Bethlehem with the region. For complete census information,
go to: http://factfinder.census.gov.

The Eastern Gateway Vision Plan is a community driven report providing
ideas for enhancing the major eastern entranceway to South
Side Bethlehem, marketing the neighborhood, creating renderings
of possible streetscape amenities, and suggesting signage
and wayfinding ideas to direct residents, nearby employees,
and visitors to all the diverse opportunities offered here.

One of the main goals of the Southside Vision 2012 (now
2014) Plan is to improve the gateways leading into Bethlehem,
especially the Eastern Gateway. After a neighborhood visioning
party where community residents were challenged to look at
their public spaces and make suggestions for improvements
and after 13 separate focus groups of community experts convened
to discuss ways to enliven and redesign the neighborhood,
the plan was finalized in late summer 2011. Implementation
of this plan will create exciting
and highly visible public spaces as well as much needed retail,
service, and residential development in this crossroads neighborhood. The plan was completed in partnership with the Community Action Committee of Bethlehem

In 2009, the City of Bethlehem received a federal Preserve
America grant to complete a citywide Historic Preservation
Plan (the “Plan”). Bethlehem used this opportunity
to create a cohesive strategy to ensure that significant historic
and cultural assets in the City—including buildings,
neighborhoods, industrial remnants, oral histories, cultural
sites and traditions—are preserved and utilized for
positive economic and community development. The final plan
is attached for reference.

In 2009, Jeff Speck, the City’s consultant
on walkability and other related planning issues, developed
a report based on the conviction that a successful city is
one in which people choose to walk. If people are not fully
comfortable using the City as a pedestrian, then the City
will never provide the high quality of life that is now demanded
in our communities. Read more...

Bethlehem's Comprehensive Plan charts how to develop and
preserve the City over the next decade. It provides the rationale
for updating the City's Zoning Ordinance and for updating
other City regulations that affect future growth. Read the
full Comprehensive
Plan.

The Southside Vision 2012 plan is funded through the Community Action Development Corporation of Bethlehem (CADC-B) and their parent organization, the Community Action Committee of the Lehigh Valley (CACLV) with tax credits from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development. The City partnered with CADC-B to complete the plan to develop a strategy for addressing some of the issues and opportunities in the neighborhoods on the south side. The plan was completed in 2002 and a steering committee has been developed to facilitate with the implementation of the recommendations of the plan. The program was previously granted a 2 year extension to 2014. In 2014 the program was reinstituted for another 6 years. The steering committee structure will continue for the next 6 years but will be reorganized to reflect new goals and objectives for the program.

South Bethlehem Greenway Plan adopted in 2005, the Greenway Plan has been a guideline for Greenway development. The Greenway plan will continue to be referenced as the South Bethlehem Greenway is developed.